Date Created: April 17th, 2017

Date Submitted: Spring 2017

Title of Artifact: Observation 7: Math
New Jersey Professional Standards for Teachers: Standard Five Application of Content

I am placing my artifact, Observation 7: Math, under Standard Five Application of Content as

evidence of continued mastery of the various ways to provide students with connections of the
content areas. In this observation, the teacher used her background knowledge to offer students
multiple perspectives which related to the real world. She also allowed students to work
collaboratively. By doing so, each learner had the ability to work creatively, think critically and
make connections to their own world and current events. This observation delivered many
techniques to support students through application of the multiple content areas.

References:
New Jersey Professional Standards for Teachers. (2014, August 4). Retrieved from
http://www.state.nj.us/education/code/current/title6a/chap9.pdf
I. Observation:
Math
II. Grade:
Second
III. Students:
20 Students (11 Boys, 9 Girls)
IV. Setting:
Push-In/Integration in regular education second grade class
V. Pre-Observation:
I applied my prior knowledge from a previous math lesson in this class to prepare

myself for a continuation of this unit. I saw a great amount of hands-on activities and

students working together so I was curious to see if this was how the mainstream

teacher ran most of her classes or if it was just for that lesson. This math unit was

going to be money related so I was prepared to see the use of play/pretend money. I

struggle personally when it comes to math so I came up with a few questions to ask

the mainstream teacher about different methods or techniques to teaching subjects or

topics that you may personally have a harder time teaching.

VI. Data:
During this lesson, the teacher used the smart board to complete sample word

problems on the board. These problems included real-world situations where students

would need to use money. After completing a few examples with the whole class, she

had the students sit back at their tables and gave them each a whiteboard and marker.

As a class, she created different scenarios where students would need to use money

and wrote a math problem on the board. For example, she said, Sally bought 4

apples for $1.50. If she paid with $5.00, how much money would she get back? Each

student used their whiteboards to write the math problem down and the teacher made

sure to check the students answers and remind them to always write out the units.
VII. Analysis:
A reoccurring theme I noticed within the classroom during this lesson was that the

students were not using the whiteboards very effectively. Many of them got very
 distracted or were unfocused because they were just excited to use the whiteboards.

Something else I recognized was that they did not spend much time going over the

unit before working on practice word problems. They may have completed work prior

to this lesson on an earlier day but I was not observing for that time. Although some

students were off task I noticed that there were groups of students at certain tables

that were helping one another and reminding them to write out their units. Overall,

this class is extremely integrated no matter what type of lesson they are completing.
VIII. Recommendations:
One major thing I would recommend for this lesson is to use play or pretend money.

There are multiple ways that students learn and the mainstream teacher should be

utilizing as many materials and techniques as possible, especially when it comes to

math. This unit of money is a major concept that students will use for the rest of their

lives; therefore, it is crucial to make sure that each student grasps the general concept

of the unit. Rivera, author of Teaching to the Math Common Core State Standards:

Focus on Kindergarten to Grade 5, explains, Like any profession that involves

some level of accountability, the manner in which you are expected to teach

mathematics in todays times has to embrace such realities, which also means needing

to arm yourself with a proactive disposition that will support all elementary students

succeed in developing mathematical understanding necessary for middle school and

beyond, including the workplace, (p. 4). Not only do teachers have to worry about

their students understanding concepts for life in general, but there are many state or

country wide assessments to see where students stand within a district or school. This

puts a lot more pressure on teachers to ensure that their whole class is understanding

and retaining the instruction they teach.

IX. Post-Observation:
 After completing this observation, I realized the amount of pressure that gets put on

teachers when it comes to state standards. The mainstream teacher gave me a few

heads up and pointers when it came to common core standards which was very

helpful for my progress and observations. This specific lesson gave me a few ideas

for my own lessons in the future. I also feel more confident after observing and

discussing with real teachers their own experiences and techniques.

X. Citations:
Rivera, F. D. (2014). Teaching to the Math Common Core State Standards : Focus on

Kindergarten to Grade 5. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.